Chapter Nine

The castle was both breathtaking and overwhelming at the same time.

Demetri made sure to stay by my side, reminding me of one of those medieval knights that were sworn to protect their queen. I tried not to think too much about the fact he most likely was my chosen guard now, since that meant I would be in the company of someone who was stiff and formal. That was his job, and I knew I would become accustomed to it within time.

I wanted to be in the presence of Marcus once more, but it wasn't meant to happen. I most likely would end up meeting him when I would be settled into the chambers that had been assigned to me. Chambers that were in the queens' tower, a place where I would end up meeting Queen Sulpicia along with Queen Athenodora. The queens who would help me with learning how to become a proper queen, but I would never replace their friendship and love towards Late Queen Didyme.

We reached a spiral staircase, stone and intimidating and very steep. Demetri ushered me forward and followed behind me, his hands clasped behind his back in a proper manner. I could feel his eyes on me and without thinking I brought my hand up and rubbed my fingers against the locket. I took in the texture and surface, imagining myself holding Avalyn close to me while pressing my nose against the top of her head to take in that baby smell mothers often felt comforted and adored.

There were vampires that were flanked on either side of the bottom of the stairs, ones that barely glanced at me for they knew they weren't allowed to look at me long. At the top of the stairs there was a female vampire with reddish-blonde curls that fell a little past her armpits. She was quite voluminous in curves and had eyes that could steal away your inhibitions, the smirk dancing upon her crimson-colored lips allowed anyone to know this. She held no shame towards this, this was what she was and what she was made for.

The high class, Haute Couture, robes let everyone know her position in the guard. She gave a small tilt of the head to acknowledge Demetri before she turned her attention to me. She curtseyed and bowed her head down to show submission and respect towards me. I could tell she had no problems whatsoever with doing this, after all I was to be the last piece of the chessboard of queens. I was to complete the whole set and I both was looking forward to this but was terrified a little bit.

What if I was a disappointment to the vampiric community? What if they did not accept me as their queen for Marcus? What if they never wanted another queen for him, and the only queen they would accept for him would have been the late queen Didyme?

"Hello, your highness, I am Corin. I am one of the guards in charge of you and the other queens, Queen Sulpicia and Queen Athenodora. I have the ability to make you feel comfortable when you are anxious about the place. I have been known to be both a friend and a therapist if you need an ear to be leant to for conversations. The other queens come to me when they cannot speak to each other or grow tired of speaking to each other," Corin explained, which in return made me let my eyes flicker away from her large and crimson ones. Ones that held no judgment at all at the sight of me.

"Thank you. Um…I guess it's time for me to meet the other queens?"

Both Corin and Demetri looked at each other, their crimson eyes reminding me how I wasn't about to meet the queens of a royal human court. I was the only human here and before long I would join them and be a forever member of their immortal, vampire court.

Corin smoothly moved out of the way and revealed the beautifully crafted medieval doors which had vines and roses carved painstakingly into the wood. The detailing was immaculate, and it was obvious that only someone who had a vampiric sight would be able to add that many details. Chances where it would be even more detailed for me once I would become a vampire, being able to see what the naked eye would see with perfect vision that far surpassed perfect human vision. The handles were gold, not pure gold, but a stunning shade of gold that revealed the wealth of the Volturi even more.

The doors opened, revealing an oval parlor room, with antique wallpapered walls (they must have decided to plaster over the stone so it wouldn't be so claustrophobic looking) in the shades of plum and silver–the same details as the pattern on the chamber doors—the background of the wallpaper would be plum, and the actual flowers and plants would be silver.

The long velveteen loveseats and the velveteen love chairs were the same plum color.

Everything was in the colors of plum purple, silver, and black. A perfect gothic, dramatic parlor with pieces that had been around for over a millennium to those that were only here for two hundred years at the youngest. There was a fireplace with black marble and a small fire was lit, sending out little cracks and pops from the wood being burnt.

Fake plants hung from the ceiling or were in pots around the circular parlor room, though there were some on second glance that were actually real. The Persian rugs were in pristine condition, still in the dark color family that matched with the overall three colors. It was everything that any gothic person would wish to own, and something that was even more intimidating for me since I had come from the lower middle class and nowhere near the high class.

Standing in front of the furniture were the two queens of the Volturi.

Queen Athenodora and Queen Sulpicia.

The two queens were very tall, one only two inches shorter than the other, and both of them reminded me of the Dark Ages. Women of high class that were forced to stay indoors in order for their pristine coloring to never be darkened. Women who were told to stand off to the side and not speak, women who were nothing more than treasure placed upon the mantle for others to come forward to judge them. They were queens that were nervous as their eyes landed on me, as though they were expecting to be told it was a joke for me to even be discovered.

The two queens had their hands intertwined together, sisters that were not related through blood but were together in immortality, letting their crimson eyes look away from me and towards one another.

They were dressed in a similar fashion as the time period around them–gothic queenly dresses that had many layers and jewels sewn into them. The dresses were in silver, with a similar pattern as the rest of the high court seemed to wear and had around the castle–those signature flowers with thorns. They had no crowns on their heads but there was no need for them. Everyone would know they were queens and the wives of Aro and Caius.

They were barely in front of me and the next moment I was swept up in their arms, their rich fabric, strong perfume and sweet hugs was overwhelming to me. They sat me down on the long velveteen couch and one of them ran her fingers through my hair in a gentle manner while the other gave me a sweet, sisterly smile. They looked to be the same age as each other, they were in their mid-twenties and they both had the ice white skin that had a tinge of blue to it from its paleness.

The one who was stroking my hair in a soothing manner spoke, her voice so soft and velvet that it didn't even sound as though it was meant for humans to hear.

"My precious Isabella, you do not have to worry for nought anymore. You have me and our sister, Sulpicia. I am Athenodora. You may call me Dora if you wish and Sulpicia you can call her Cia. I am Aro's mate."

Athenodora had this softness about her, there weren't any harsh lines upon her skin. Her eyes, as like the other queen's, had a tinge of cloudiness to it. As though she was going blind, but vampires didn't go blind. Maybe it was a sign of aging, something that vampires would go through. Perhaps it was because of the seclusion that came from them being stuck up here for over a millennium due to the death of their sister queen.

Sulpicia on the other hand had her eyes trained towards the locket upon my neck. She reached into one of the pockets of her dress and pulled out a piece of jewelry that was similar to mine.

Only instead of the heart shaped locket being single and the same shape the locket actually was round, and the metal was gold. She motioned towards my necklace and then towards the necklace that she had upon her hands, whispering, "my baby. I was pregnant when Caius had come to me as a vampire, but we hadn't known. The baby came out during my transition into a vampire. It wasn't too far along in its development. We cremated it and its lockets are in this locket just like your baby's ashes are in the locket of yours. It was only ten weeks old."

I sat there quietly, not expecting for this to be what I would hear.

Sulpicia had gone through almost exactly the same thing I had gone through. Only she wasn't that far along into her pregnancy. It didn't mean it wasn't as traumatic as it was for me, in fact the way her hauntingly beautiful voice was speaking it was obvious it was almost like it was yesterday and not over a millennium ago.

Athenodora got up from the couch and drifted off to where a harp was with the softest looking fuchsia purple cushioned stool for her to sit on.

She made sure to smooth out her skirts and fold them away from being sat down on and create winkles. She sat down onto the cushioned stool with her back straight, precise and began to strum her fingers against the strings of the harp. The light that came in from the gothic windows that were stain glassed in all the colors of the rainbow, sent an odd glint throughout the room. It just made me feel as though I was in another world entirely.

Sulpicia brought one of her hands up and ran her fingers through her fair hair.

Her hair was a similar shade as Caius's own hair. It was the only thing that was similar to them, well other than the obvious normal vampiric traits, that would be anything close to hereditary. They weren't siblings, though it wouldn't have been surprising if any of them married a cousin or brother due to the time period they had come from. I wouldn't have judged them for it, only the Lord and the Devil knew all the sins we had gone through.

I almost wanted to ask if she had been told anything about Avalyn and the whole miscarriage, I had gone through by Marcus but just the thought of accusing him of anything made bile want to creep up my throat and through my mouth. He wasn't that kind of person; my precious Veiled King was not someone who would have anything negative towards me or those that were considered his family. Whether through marriage or through vampirism.

"Thank you for telling me about your baby," I whispered, both wanting to tell her but also not wanting to break the soft tranquility that came from the room around us.

Of course I had barely whispered this when the doors that led into the parlor of the tower were thrown open and I was welcomed with Marcus rushing forward with his veil still in front of his eyes and upon his nose.

He stopped in front of me and scooped me up in his arms before he pushed me behind him a little bit. His head was tilted upwards, and he held this essence about him which let others know they should not even think about him being weak.

The two kings that came forward into the room afterwards both had interest in their crimson eyes.

Caius had his eyes flicker over to where his wife was, his eyes showing a split second of pain when he saw the golden locket that was in his wife's hands.

It was gone a second later, barely even noticeable when it came to the human eye. He reached her and sat down next to her, picking her hands up and pressing his lips against her knuckles. The locket was still clasped together in her hands, and for one moment it was like they were a family of three instead of just two.

He was quite handsome; his features were sharper than I had expected. Strong jawbone, along with a chin. His blond hair fell around him and for a split second he reminded me of the Goblin King of the Labyrinth. He reminded me of King Jared, of David Bowie. He held that same elegance as the fictional king had, along with that part of him that was intimidating.

"Look at her neck, my darling. She knows our pain. She can help me, we can help each other," Sulpicia whispered, enough for Caius to listen to his queen before he turned his head towards me.

His eyes landed on my locket, and then my face before he let his attention focus on Sulpicia again. He leant forward and pressed his lips against her forehead, before he pulled his head away from hers and got up from the couch.

He went over to where the other king was, not where I was with Marcus.

He went towards the vampire that was staring at me with an intensity that was unhealthy.

His sharp cheekbones, the sharpest out of the three, along with his chin and his muscular body made him resemble a wet dream for any girl that looked at him too long. And he knew he had that power; those cloudy crimson eyes could look into your soul and decide what to do next. His obsidian hair draped across his shoulders, and he kept staring at me as though he was waiting to see if he could peel back my layers to see into my soul.

"Hello, dear Isabella," he purred, his voice that of any incubus that was out there. He reminded me of one now that I thought longer about it.

The soft strumming of the harp in the background stopped, before the shuffling of someone getting up from the stool and the clicking of high heels replaced the strumming. The dark-haired beautiful queen went forward and without hesitation reached the vampire who most likely transformed her into a vampire and was her mate. Her fingernails were long, blood red from nail polish and a mixture of blood, and a second later she slapped him across the face.

The king could not help but chuckle and grab her around the waist, pulling her flush against him. He let his eyes flicker away from me and towards Queen Athenodora. He leant down and nuzzled his nose against the side of her throat, his teeth revealing and brushing against the marble like skin available for him. She sighed and allowed him to drag his teeth against her throat for a second before she pulled him away from her.

"Behave, Aro. I need not remind you that women are not objects. Especially whenever you see fit to play with them and their hormones, again, shall I?" the queen probed, only for Aro to chuckle darkly, most likely because he liked the reaction, he received from her.

"Yes, my queen. I shall allow my eyes to stray if I wish but I shall never make a comment to them nor action that could result in a misunderstanding. You are the only one who shall ever receive any pleasure from me," Aro remarked.

"Good, introduce yourself the proper way," Athenodora commanded, her head tilted up and her eyes dark enough to let her husband know he couldn't flirt with me. Seemed like she had that problem with him, he always seemed to flirt with women but obviously the only one who was actually worthy to touch him was her.

Aro came forward, but Marcus made sure he was still in front of me.

I was able to look around his side to see that the older dark-haired king kept his face very polite and there was nothing about him that made me want to give into temptation. I couldn't imagine how many women would demand to be in bed with him, only for him to make them feel ashamed for even having the thought he would touch them in a sexual manner which would result in actual sex.

"I do apologize, Isabella. I am Aro, the main king of the trio, and am able to read every thought a person has. I have been told by Marcus and the guards who went with him that you have the gift of being a shield. Those that are gifted in the Cullens worked two out of three–the prodigal son of Carlisle was not able to read your thoughts."

There was this airiness that came from Aro at the mention of Carlisle, a tenderness that reminded me of an admirer. A tenderness that lovers had for each other, but it was obviously not accepted nor reciprocated in the slightest.

It seemed as though he cared for Carlisle far more than a friend, but he respected his wife enough he would never dare to start something with Carlisle unless she approved. If she approved of other lovers, I did not know. For all I knew they had an open marriage, and they were allowed to mess with whomever they wished as long as they got approval from the other.

"May I touch your hand, Isabella? It will be very brief, just so I know you are indeed Gifted."

"Make it so, Aro. I wish not for your hand to linger longer than it must. If it were avoidable, I would not even let you think you could touch her," Marcus growled, before he picked up one of my hands and held it out towards Aro. He paused a moment later and I could feel his eyes on me, enough for me to nod my head to let him know I did agree to this.

The moment my hand fell into Aro's there was nothing more than disgust that rolled upon me in waves. My future brother-in-law was touching me, and I wanted to yank my hand away from him. My other future brother-in-law on the other hand didn't seem as though he was interested in touching me, which I was thankful for. He seemed to take the cue as the rest of the coven and avoided touching me as though I was the manifestation of the plague.

True to his word, Aro held my hand only as long as he had to, before he pulled his hand away from mine. Athenodora swept forward, her dress moving as swiftly as the air upon the waves of the ocean. She pressed her hand upon his chest and pushed him backwards some, her eyes flickering up to his in a heated manner. He would be rewarded later for the brief touch he had given me instead of something that she allowed him to do longer.

As though she sensed this, Athenodora gave me a gentle smile.

"We come from a different time period than now, as you know. Ancient Greece, where grand orgies and open marriages and sexualities were prominent. Aro and I were involved in many of those things, and still have open sexualities and an open marriage to an extent. As long as we allow the other to flirt and kiss, but never have sex with another, then all is fair. Otherwise, there will be carnage and bloodshed, it is the way of our kind. We are very protective of each other," she informed me, there was no shame upon her features nor in her voice.

"I would prefer you to not speak of such matters in the company of my Isabella," Marcus suddenly said, sending goosebumps across my body from the breath that hit my skin. I shivered a little bit, and he loosened his hold upon me, only for me to squeeze his hand to let him know I liked having him very close to me. I needed reassurance that he was here.

"Ah, you have always been quite a prude to be around, brother. Perhaps your mate will manage to loosen you up in time. We are not children; we are all adults here. Yes, we are counting you as an adult also. The subject of sex should not be looked at in a shameful light," Aro exclaimed, enough for Athenodora to reach her hand up and press it against his lips, as though to quietly tell him he needed to stop talking since there was no need to drag the subject on.

"Respect our brother, Aro. It is his right to speak his mind, as it is your right to speak yours. I made my comment and decided to not speak further of it. You need to do the same. Come, pick up the harp, bring it into our chambers, and then the stool. I wish to play you my latest composition I have made of you. Our presence is not needed anymore."

One moment Queen Athenodora and King Aro were in front of us and the next moment the space in front of us was empty. I turned around to look at where the harp and its stool was only to see that they were gone also.

There was no scraping against the stone flooring, nor were there any marks that were in the room that let me know the objects had been bumped against. There was just another reminder I had witnessed another normal activity for vampires–picking up instruments and stools for the instruments as though they were paper weights and taking them to their next place within seconds. It was no wonder why vampires were often romanticized and honored in horror because of their super strength.

Sulpicia was the next one to stand up, Caius almost seemed to stick to her like glue. Every step she took he took with her. Her locket that kept the remains of her infant were back in the pocket of her dress folds. She moved without any speed or urgency that would be troublesome. She merely strolled towards me as though she was meeting me in the royal gardens instead of just the other side of the parlor where I was standing with Marcus.

She reached me and took my hands in hers, in that same sisterly manner as before. She brought one of her hands that were in mine away from our intertwined hands and pressed it against the side of my cheek. She beamed brightly, as though she was the embodiment of the sun right now, and she was deciding to grace me with her sunbeams.

"I have often prayed to the Gods for another sister. I adored Didyme and though she was stolen from us we were also gifted with you. I am sorry for the behavior you received from Sulpicia and Aro. They have their own way to greet members of our coven…I often believe that you do not have to be honest about everything. By everything, meaning anything sexual. That should be something only mentioned in the bedroom and done there," Athenodora commented.

Caius rolled his eyes at the end of what his wife had said, before he looked at me with the same kindness that his wife did. He turned and looked at Marcus, motioning for the Veiled King to move away from me.

I slowly loosened my hold upon the man I was destined to spend the rest of eternity with and allowed Caius to come forward to kiss me on the wrist–a bare brush of his lips against my skin and it was gone. I barely felt it, just the way it should be.

I didn't know how to feel about Aro nor Sulpicia, but I was glad that I had met Caius and Athenodora. I was even more glad that Marcus had made sure to protect me as much as he could during the meeting with the other royals.

AUTHOR'S NOTE: update 1 of 3.

as always: Twilight doesn't belong to me

-Emmy

next chapter: Bella begins a friendship with Alec and Jane.